Flitcroft sees a squad on the same page

Swindon Town manager David Flitcroft sees a squad on the same page

THE GLEE in which Swindon Town reacted to Kaiyne Woolery’s late goal that confirmed their progress in the Checkatrade Trophy on Wednesday night summed up undeniable spirit within the camp, according to manager David Flitcroft.

With two minutes to go in Town’s clash away at local rivals Bristol Rovers, Woolery raced more than half the length of the pitch before firing the visitors into an unassailable 4-2 lead – a final score that saw them progress to the second round of the competition.

Although the tournament has had its detractors since a revamp ahead of the 2016-17 season saw academy sides from Premier League clubs invited to take part, it has provided Swindon with plenty of reasons to be cheerful in recent weeks in the shape of two of their five consecutive wins.

The rest of Town’s outfield XI rushed to celebrate with Woolery after his crucial strike at the Memorial Stadium and Flitcroft believes it perfectly encapsulate a squad that has total unity in its ambitions.

“People will have a go at this cup and disrespect it but we saw a group of players – every single one bar Reice (Charles-Cook) in goal – go over and celebrate with Kaiyne,” said Flitcroft.

“I think the reaction told you everything about where the squad is at.

“To score that goal in the 89th minute and see the reaction, that’s a galvanised group, that’s a group of young men who want to do well for the football club and do well for the supporters, in whatever game we play.

“Sometimes the players that don’t play so much don’t really feel part of it. Over the last 10 years of being involved in football management, I do really pride myself on making sure that every member feels valued and appreciated.

“That’s something I am trying to bring to the football club and I am working really hard on that.”

Town will look to make it six wins on the bounce when the entertain bottom side Chesterfield in League Two on Saturday.

Flitcroft believes a key factor behind Swindon’s recent success is how thoroughly they dissect each performance, with the players reaping the benefits of the coaching staff’s emphasis on accentuating the positives.

“We do a lot of reinforcement work, we do a lot of work on the video. We will always review the games,” said Flitcroft.

“We will show the players the positives of what they are doing well and it’s the same when we have not done well, we have shown them the other side.

“I don’t just agree with showing them what they have done wrong, say after the Barnet game or Crawley game.

“I soon flip that and show them what they are good at and keep reminding them what they are good at.

“We have got a very positive environment and we keep telling players they are doing well but making sure they never get complacent and take what we are doing for granted because without the backbone of hard work, you are not going to win football matches consistently.

“Over the last month, we have had a consistency about what we have done.”

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